Man hailed as hero for saving pregnant woman from violent attack

A British man has been called a “hero” after rescuing a pregnant woman when she was randomly and violently attacked on a Sydney street.

Martin Barratt was walking to work at 9am on Tuesday when he witnessed a woman being repeatedly punched in the head by another woman.

“It wasn't a fight, it was an attack and I kind of realised this person was defenceless and just tried to help as any decent human would,” he told Nine News.

The victim, Alexa Cojanu, who is 30 weeks pregnant, was allegedly attacked by a 28-year-old Mount Druitt woman she'd never met. Watch what happened below.

Ms Cojanu had unknowingly stepped in between the woman and her partner, who were in the middle of an argument. The woman then turned on her, punching her and pulling her hair.

When Ms Cojanu was pushed out onto the road, Mr Barratt stepped in to come to her aid.

"I kind of went to pick her up and she was on the floor holding her stomach and saying she was pregnant," he said.

Mr Barratt says he wishes he had reacted more quickly, however.

"I took two seconds too long to assess it, so by that point, there were a few extra punches thrown," he said on Wednesday.

Ms Cojanu was taken to Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital but was discharged shortly afterwards. She suffered minor injuries and thankfully her unborn child was not harmed.

The alleged attacker is behind bars after being charged with assault. She's due to face court on June 11.